Amysterious varmint has been ravaging some of the plants that I count on for color now. I suspect a ground hog, but it could be a rabbit. There are so many bunnies in the yard I think they might be taking over South Amherst.
All my Echinaceas, pink, red and white, have been decapitated. To add insult to injury, the profligate beast doesn’t eat the flowers he cuts down. He just leaves the severed stalks scattered under what remains of the plant. He also took down a vigorous red and orange Coreopsis. It was a cloud of blossoms one day, and the next morning it looked as though it had been weed-wacked. So far, the critter seems to have no appetite for a butter-yellow Coreopsis less than 10 feet away. But I probably shouldn’t push my luck by mentioning that.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds are everywhere. Someone recently told me that it’s not a good idea to put two feeders within sight of each other because one aggressive bird can dominate all the feeders. Remember to change your sugar water at least once a week (one part sugar to four parts water), more often if it’s out in the sun because it will spoil faster. Don’t put red coloring in the feeder, and don’t use anything but plain white sugar. Brown sugar and honey are dangerous if not fatal to hummers.
I also learned that, unlike some types of male birds who share the tasks of nest building and child rearing with their mates, the male hummingbird is a dead-beat dad. He’s so useless that if he happens to come near the female’s nest, she will chase him away. The mother bird makes her nest from sticky spider webs and bits of lichen, wrapped together in a tiny ball. She feeds her young by chewing up bugs — mosquitos, gnats, small bees and spiders — and mixing them with nectar to make a sort of smoothie that she regurgitates into the babies’ mouths. She feeds them every 20 minutes. And I thought it was hard getting up two or three times a night to feed my baby boys!
My summer planters are looking a bit meh. The happiest flowers seem to be a peach-colored “exotic fusion” impatiens and a ‘Cocoa enchanted sunrise’ begonia that has chocolate foliage veined with green and an abundance of small, salmon-pink flowers. These two have been keeping company with an ‘Electric lime’ coleus and a deep blue lobelia whose blooms have lasted much longer than usual, perhaps because the plentiful rainfall we’ve had has supplemented my dilatory watering. Although it pains me to cut off perfectly healthy flowers, a significant cutting back for petunias and verbena is overdue. By mid-August I know I’ll be glad I did.
On a recent visit to Portland, Maine, I visited the childhood home of the celebrated American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The brick house was built in 1784 by the poet’s grandfather, Adjutant General Peleg Wadsworth. The house stayed in the family until 1901, when Henry’s sister, Alice Longfellow Pierce, died and left it to the Maine Historical Society.
Because of this, much of the family’s original furniture remains. Original wallpapers have been replaced by exact copies. You can almost hear the family tramping up and down the staircases and murmuring in the parlors. It’s a superb historic house museum.
And it has a lovely garden, restored in 1924 by Pearl Wing, who founded the Longfellow Garden Club. The club hired a landscape architect named Myron Lamb, who created a Colonial Revival style garden in the long, sloping lot behind the house.
The garden is open to the public, free of charge. It is a wonderful reminder of the labors of love that so many garden club members all over the country put into maintaining urban oases of green. The next time you see a flower-filled urn or a flowerbed in a public place, chances are it’s the work of your local garden club. Make sure you thank them!
Join Mass Audubon’s Joe Choiniere, old-growth forest specialist Bob Leverett, and old growth forest network director and author Joan Maloof for a morning walk at Wachusett Mountain along the trails that pass through the old-growth forest area.
The walk will take place Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon at Wachusett Mountain State Reservation, Princeton. In the afternoon, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, there will be a presentation by Maloof, author of ”Nature’s Temples: The Complex World of Old-Growth Forests,” followed by discussion and book signing. The talk is co-sponsored with Mass Audubon.
For the walk, meet at Tower Hill in Boylston at 9:15 a.m. and van and car pool to Wachusett Mountain or meet at Wachusett Mountain State Reservation, Princeton (exact location will be sent prior to the event) at 9:45 a.m.
Cost: Walk, talk and book-signing: Member $35, Non-member $45. Talk and book-signing only: Member $15, Non-member $25.
Register at www.towerhillbg.org.
On Sunday at 10 a.m., join butterfly expert Dr. Bill Benner to scout for the belles of the insect world.
There are more than 100 species in Massachusetts, at least seven of which are endangered. Benner will discuss butterflies’ habits and life cycles, the challenges they face, and how you can help protect their habitat. Benner is a practicing veterinarian and editor of “Massachusetts Butterflies,” the journal of the Massachusetts chapter of the North American Butterfly Association. The event is free but contributions are welcome.
RSVP required. Space is limited to 20 people. The talk will take place either in Shutesbury or Belchertown, depending on the best conditions. To register, go to kestreltrust.org. Location information will be provided after registration. No rain date; rain will cancel the event.
Enjoy a close-up look at the most spectacular caterpillars. This show will come to Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston on Aug. 19 and 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sam Jaffe, a naturalist, biologist, photographer and educator, operates the Caterpillar Lab in Keene, New Hampshire. He has an infectious enthusiasm and offers a rare chance to learn about the lives of these stunning creatures. Free with admission.
This month Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge is all about animals, large and small. There will be lectures and interactive workshops offered free to members and children under 12, and to non-members with admission to the garden.
The first of eight family programs, “Birds of Prey,” will take place Aug. 11, 10 to 11 a.m. Tom Ricardi, Wildlife Rehabilitator will give a lecture/demonstration for all ages. He will share the natural history of birds of prey, demonstrate some of their unique behaviors and inspire children to appreciate, respect and conserve these important members of our wild kingdom.
On Aug. 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be a chance to build fairy houses at the garden.
For more information, go to berkshirebotanical.org
The Grow Show takes place at Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge Aug. 12-13. It’s a fun and informative “You grow it, we show it” event that puts participants’ garden harvest in the spotlight.
There are nearly 80 classes to enter, including annuals, perennials, biennials, herbs, vegetables, bulbs, evergreen branches and container plants. There is no entry fee.
The theme of this year’s show is “House of Flowers,” featuring floral design and photography divisions inspired by five local historic houses: Chesterwood, Freylinghuysen Morris House and Studio, The Mount, Naumkeag and Olana. The housre are Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free with garden admission.
For more information, go to berkshirebotanical.org.
Mickey Rathbun can be reached at foxglover8@gmail.com.